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 Table of Contents

Introduction

EasyBuild is a framework for building and managing software on HPC systems. It automates compiling, installing, and configuring scientific applications while handling dependencies, toolchains, and environment modules.

A key feature concept is easyconfig files — text-based receipts that define build parameters, dependencies, versions, and toolchains. By using these receipts, EasyBuild installs software along with all its dependencies, ensuring a consistent, reproducible, and optimized HPC software environment.

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Before you start, make sure that:

• Easybuild is installed and publicly available via module system

• Easybuild configuration file exists and is properly configured

• IMAS related receipts are

  downloaded from all their sources being used

  downloaded 

• All modules are purged and EasyBuild module is the only module loaded:

  Code Block
  module purge module load EasyBuild

• $EASYCONFIG_PATHS system variable is set to point to all directories with easyconfig files 

• Your TMP  directory is set up to use $ITMWORK

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Downloading easyconfigs

To allow the users to seamlessly switch between EUROfusion and ITER clusters, the environment that is built on the Gateway mimics (to some extent) the one of the ITER SDCC machines. 

To achieve this a receipts from the ITER cluster are utilised to install software on the GW.

This simple mechanism will be replaced with a more complex one, where receipts would be maintained in GIT repositories.

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Downloading configuration (EB) files

Source SDCC: /work/imas/opt/EasyBuild/ebfiles_repo/ 

rsync -av --delete -e "ssh -J <user>@sdcc-login.iter.org"  <user>@sdcc-login02.iter.org:/work/imas/opt/EasyBuild/ebfiles_repo/ ./iter-receipts/

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System variable EASYCONFIGS_PATH

Set system variable EASYCONFIGS_PATH  that points to the directory with receipts

export EASYCONFIGS_PATH=`pwd`/iter-receipts

Installation of software components

Searching for receipts

EasyBuild needs a receipt to install any software component. The following command can be used to look for receipts:

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<software name>-<software version>-<toolchain>-<toolchain version>

e.g.:
Doxygen-1.9.8-GCCcore-13.2.0.eb

Installation

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Code Block
language bash title IMAS
eb <receipt name>.eb --allow-modules-tool-mismatchrobot --robot-paths=$EASYCONFIG_PATHS e.g.: eb IMAS-AL-Cpp-5.2.0dev-foss-2020b-DD-3.40.1.eb --allow-modules-tool-mismatchDoxygen-1.9.8-GCCcore-13.2.0.eb --robot --robot-paths=$EASYCONFIGS_PATHS

Info
title Hints
--robot/-r command line option enables dependency resolution See EasyBuild documentation for details

Installation of IMAS

IMAS bundle

The IMAS bundle is (usually) provided by ITER and loads all IMAS High Level Interfaces and related modules:

• IMAS High Level Interfaces
  
  • IMAS-AL-Cpp
  • IMAS-AL-Fortran
  • IMAS-AL-Java
  • IMAS-AL-Matlab
  • IMAS-AL-Python
• Related modules:
  • IDStools
    

• Clone repo with easyconfigs: TBD
• Run installation: 

  Code Block
  eb ./ebfiles_repo/IMAS/IMAS-3.42.0-2024.08.1-foss-2023b.eb --allow-modules-tool-mismatch --robot=$EASYCONFIG_PATHS  eb ./ebfiles_repo/IMAS/IMAS-3.42.0-2024.08.1-intel-2023b.eb --allow-modules-tool-mismatch --robot=$EASYCONFIG_PATHS

How to use IMAS

After installation you can load IMAS  modules i.e:

module use {prefix}/modules/all
module load IMAS-AL-Cpp/5.2.0dev-foss-2020b-DD-3.40.1
module load IMAS-AL-Fortran/5.2.0dev-foss-2020b-DD-3.40.1
module load IMAS-AL-Java/5.2.0dev-foss-2020b-Java-11-DD-3.40.1
module load IMAS-AL-Python/5.2.0dev-foss-2020b-DD-3.40.1

How it works

• eb - EasyBuild

• IMAS-AL-Cpp/IMAS-AL-Cpp-5.2.0dev-foss-2020b-DD-3.40.1.eb - path to EasyBuild configuration file

• --allow-modules-tool-mismatch - flag   BP: Probably unnecessary - to be checked
• --robot - paths to configuration files

--installpath-modules=/gw/swimas/easybuild/etc --use-existing-modules --ignore-checksums

Installation of the 'production' software

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Installation of the 'production' software

To install the 'production' version of the software belonging to IMAS ecosystem, a few extra options have to be added to point out EB to the dedicated public directory /gw/swimas/easybuild  

--prefix='/gw/swimas/easybuild/opt' 
--installpath-modules='/gw/swimas/easybuild/etc'
--ignore-checksums (optional)


# TO BE DISCUSSED: Accessing sources while debugging. Should 'source' directory be public, as well? 

Installation of the IMAS bundle

The IMAS bundle is (usually) provided by ITER and loads all IMAS High Level Interfaces and related modules:

Content of IMAS bundle

IMAS bundle consist of:

• IMAS High Level Interfaces
  
  • IMAS-AL-Cpp 
  • IMAS-AL-Fortran 
  • IMAS-AL-Java 
  • IMAS-AL-Matlab 
  • IMAS-AL-Python 
• Related modules:
  • IDStools 

IMAS bundle receipts

The IMAS bundle receipts name usually contains the 'IMAS' string, Data Dictionary version, date of release and toolchain version, e.g.: IMAS-3.42.0-2024.09-foss-2023b.eb  or IMAS-4.0.0-2024.12-foss-2023b.eb  

Before installation search for a proper IMAS bundle version

shell> eb --search IMAS-3 --robot-paths=$EASYCONFIG_PATHS

== found valid index for /gw/swimas/easybuild/opt/software/EasyBuild/5.0.0/easybuild/easyconfigs, so using it...
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 * /gss_efgw_work/work/g2bpalak/easybuild/iter-receipts/IMAS/IMAS-3.42.0-2024.08-foss-2023b.eb
 * /gss_efgw_work/work/g2bpalak/easybuild/iter-receipts/IMAS/IMAS-3.42.0-2024.08-intel-2023b.eb
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 * /gss_efgw_work/work/g2bpalak/easybuild/iter-receipts/IMAS/IMAS-3.42.0-2024.09-foss-2023b.eb
 * /gss_efgw_work/work/g2bpalak/easybuild/iter-receipts/IMAS/IMAS-3.42.0-2024.09-intel-2023b.eb
...
 

Installation

Once the receipt with a proper version of Data Dictionary and toolchain is found, the IMAS bundle can be installed as any other software:

eb <IMAS bundle receipt>.eb --robot --robot-paths=$EASYCONFIG_PATHS 

e.g.:
eb IMAS-3.42.0-2024.08.1-intel-2023b.eb --robot --robot-paths=$EASYCONFIG_PATHS

How to use IMAS

After installation you can load IMAS  modules i.e:

module use {prefix}/modules/all
module load IMAS-AL-Cpp/5.2.0dev-foss-2020b-DD-3.40.1
module load IMAS-AL-Fortran/5.2.0dev-foss-2020b-DD-3.40.1
module load IMAS-AL-Java/5.2.0dev-foss-2020b-Java-11-DD-3.40.1
module load IMAS-AL-Python/5.2.0dev-foss-2020b-DD-3.40.1

--prefix='/gw/swimas/easybuild/opt' 
--installpath-modules='/gw/swimas/easybuild/etc'

# TO BE DISCUSSED: Accessing sources while debugging. Should 'source' directory be public, as well? 

# following modules must be installed 
# pkgconfig
# Cmake

imasenv module

Adding software components to existing installation

• Set  MODULEPATH system variable 

  Code Block
  export MODULEPATH=/gw/swimas/easybuild/etc/all

• Add --use-existing-modules  switch to eb  command

Useful tips

Installing dependencies as hidden modules

The key feature of the EasyBuild is the ability to install a software component with all its dependencies. But Unfortunatlely EasyBuild installs module not only for the requested software but for every dependency as well.

The It results with the number of available modules is growing with every installation, becoming less and less intuitive / useful hard to navigate for the users. 

There are few options to hide modules, unfortunately every of them has its disadvantages, 

• eb --hide-deps=<moduleName1>,<moduleName2>,..., <moduleNameN>   option of eb requires for all modules to be explicitly listed

• eb --hide-all-dependencies -  implemented in working branch but PR#3217 has been not merged since 2020
• module-hide <module-name> - Lmod module system command (see documentation). . Modules have to be hide one by one (see documentation).

Change the default tmp directory

Anchor
tmp_dir_change tmp_dir_change

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